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Union for Secular Republic & Human Rights in Iran

Iran: Monthly News of Iran – May 2018

Human Rights Watch- Notorious Iranian Prosecutor Behind Bars … For Now Iran’s infamous prosecutor Saeed Mortazavi, who received a two-year prison sentence for his complicity in the death of a detained protester arrested during the 2009 anti-government demonstrations, was finally detained and transferred to Evin prison on Sunday, Iranian media announced. Click for more.

US Institute of Peace – Secretary Mattis on Iran Nuclear Deal On April 26, Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis told the Senate Armed Service Committee that the Iran nuclear deal includes “pretty robust” verification. He did not give his opinion about whether the United States should withdraw from the agreement, as President Donald Trump has threatened. But he told lawmakers that he had read the 156-page Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) three times and was struck by how it was “written almost with an assumption that Iran will try to cheat.” The following are excerpted remarks from the hearing on the Defense of Defense budget posture. Click for more. Part 1: Iran’s Role in Iraq Iran has emerged as the most influential foreign player in Iraq since U.S.-led forces toppled Saddam Hussein’s regime in 2003. Iran and Iraq are Shiite-majority countries that share centuries-deep cultural and religious ties — and a 900-mile border. The Islamic Republic has used these advantages to permeate Iraq’s political, security, economic, and religious spheres. Click for additional info Part 2: Pro-Iran Militias in Iraq Since 2003, Iranian influence has deepened in Iraq through a wide array of Shiite militias. Several militia leaders and politicians spent years in exile in Tehran during Saddam Hussein’s reign in the 1980s and 1990s. One of Iraq’s most powerful armed groups, the Badr Organization, was formed in 1982 by Iraqi exiles to fight Hussein with the support of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Click for additional info Gunman Attacks Iranian Interests Section in Washington Click for more Amnesty International Further Information: Iran: Iranian trade unionist on hunger strike: Esmail Abdi Iranian trade unionist Esmail Abdi started a hunger strike on 24 April to protest against the treatment of teachers and workers in Iran, on the one hand, and the denial of his requests for prison leave, on the other. Esmail Abdi is a prisoner of conscience serving a six-year sentence in Tehran’s Evin prison for his peaceful trade union activities. Click for more New evidence reveals deliberate desecration and destruction of multiple mass gravesites New evidence including satellite imagery, photo and video analysis shows that the Iranian authorities are deliberately destroying suspected or confirmed mass grave sites associated with the 1988 massacre in which thousands of prisoners detained for political reasons were forcibly disappeared and extrajudicially executed, according to a report released by Amnesty International and Justice for Iran today. Click for more Radio Farda Iran Responsible For Over Half of Executions World Over, Says Amnesty International In a report released on April 12, London-based international human rights watchdog Amnesty International said “more than half (51%) of all recorded executions in 2017 were carried out in Iran.” Click for more BBC Iran blocks video and images on Telegram messaging app Iran has started to disrupt the way that people can use the popular Telegram messaging app. In an official statement, Iran’s net regulator said swapping images and videos via the service was no longer permitted. Click for more Abbas Edalat: Iran confirms arrest of British professor A spokesman for Iran’s judiciary told state media that Abbas Edalat had been arrested on security charges. Mr Edalat, a professor at London’s Imperial College, was reportedly detained on 15 April while attending an academic workshop in Tehran. Click for more Council on Foreign Relations Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on U.S.-Iran Relations Minister Zarif discusses U.S.-Iran relations, regional politics in the Middle East, and the future of the Iran nuclear deal. HADLEY: Good evening, everyone, and welcome to tonight’s Council on Foreign Relations meeting. I’m Steve Hadley and I will be presiding for this evening’s discussions. Click for more Why Iran Won’t Rush to a Bomb if Trump Pulls Out of the Nuclear Deal With John Bolton’s appointment as national security adviser, the odds have significantly risen that President Trump will abandon his predecessor’s nuclear deal with Iran. But there’s no need for hysteria. If Trump abandons the deal, the Islamic Republic still isn’t likely to run amok, ramping up its nuclear program and killing American soldiers in the Middle East. Click for more Opinions How Europe Can Save the Iran Nuclear Deal Europe cannot afford to let the 2015 Iran nuclear deal fail. That’s why Donald Trump should be confronted with a choice: either uphold the agreement, in exchange for European support on regional issues and Iran’s missile program; or scrap the deal and risk the loss of European cooperation and the emergence of a nuclear-armed Iran. Click for more ============================================================= About US Formed in 2014, Union for Secular Republic & Human Rights in Iran is a political organization aiming to bring together the secular segment of the Iranian diaspora under one umbrella. We believe in a non-violent transition from the current authoritarian and religious-based regime to a secular Republic. We believe the Constitution of the Islamic Republic is undemocratic, discriminatory and contradicts the UDHR. By accepting the rights of the nation to choose its future form of government, we demand drafting a Constitution that is based on the principles of the UDHR and its preamble. We demand an end to any and all forms of discriminations in Iran, be it based on religion, belief, ideology, gender or ethnicity. We support the equal rights of every individual under the law.